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More for Your Membership
IN JANUARY, IAAPA LAUNCHED a new program for members, Partnership Plus—an initiative dedicated to providing members with even more products and services above and beyond traditional member benefits. Here are some of the highlights of the program:
Webinars: Our education department has hosted and will continue to host monthly online sessions that provide members with much-needed information on topical issues. Members can participate in these sessions for FREE and can review the slides and audio for most sessions by logging in to the members-only section of the IAAPA web site.
 FUNWORLD Collections and Tip Sheets: Members can now easily reference previous FUNWORLD articles using interactive PDFs focused on a specific attractions market or discipline. In addition, the communications department has also developed Tip Sheets on issues affecting the industry.
Handout Archives: Members can access handouts from previous education sessions in the members-only section of the IAAPA web site. The newly designed archives allow members to search based on topic and discipline.
And that’s not all; you can review additional benefits by visiting: www.IAAPA.org/membership/benefits/PartnershipPlus.asp. Updates to the Partnership Plus program are also posted on IAAPA.org on a weekly basis.
Expo Goes Green!
 IAAPA IS COMMITTED TO MINIMIZING the environmental impact of our conference and trade show, IAAPA Attractions Expo, by reducing waste and disposing of waste in an environmentally friendly way. Steps IAAPA and its partners are taking include:
- going paperless with education sessions
- using recycled/organic/biodegradable materials for events and throughout the center
- reducing paper consumption
- promoting recycling throughout the show
- using eco-friendly cleaning products
- using propane or battery power for vehicles
- using eco-friendly plates, bowls, and cups during food service
- donating leftover food to local shelters
- using carpet, tabletop material, and other supplies that contain recycled material
Questions about IAAPA’s new “green” programs? Call +1 703/836-4800.
Support Give Kids The World in Las Vegas
 THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO SHOW SUPPORT for Give Kids The World while attending IAAPA Attractions Expo 2009 in Las Vegas—listed below. For more information on any of these activities and to register please visit www.IAAPA.org/expos/attractions/GKTWEvents.asp or stop by the GKTW booth #2546.
- Sunday, Nov. 15 - Love Letters Project
- Monday, Nov. 16 - Seventh Annual International Golf Tournament
- Thursday, Nov. 19 - Third Annual 5K Fun Run and 1K Walk
- Tuesday, Nov. 17-Friday, Nov. 20 - GKTW Raffle. Buy tickets ($50 for one chance; $100 for three chances) for a chance to win the following trips:
- Six nights at a Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Europe (including airfare)
- Discovery Cove Package, Orlando, Florida. Trip includes dolphin swims, two rooms for two nights at select hotels, park admission, and four flight vouchers on Southwest Airlines.
You can also support GKTW on the trade show floor by donating leftover items/samples from the exhibit floor. Stop by  the GKTW booth (#2546) for details. Give Kids The World Village is a nonprofit resort in Central Florida that creates magical memories for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families. Visit GKTW at www.gktw.org.
IAAPA Sales Team New Hire, Promotions
Matthew Witt has joined IAAPA as exhibition sales and services executive. Witt is a graduate of James Madison University and former account executive with the Washington Wizards (Washington Sports and Entertainment), where he sold season-ticket plans (with some very impressive results), provided marketing and promotions support, and assisted with customer service. Witt will be responsible for assisting the exhibit sales team for IAAPA Attractions Expo, Asian Attractions Expo, and the Euro Attractions Show.
  Witt joins the talented exhibit sales team that recently promoted Deana Martin and Alice Mathu. Martin is now the manager of exhibition sales and web marketing. She is responsible for exhibit sales for all three IAAPA shows and manages the exhibitor marketing portion of the IAAPA web site. Mathu is now manager of exhibition sales and services and provides exhibit sales support for all three IAAPA shows with a dedicated focus on the Asian Attractions Expo.
Save the Summer
Traditional school calendar increases summer learning opportunities while providing financial stimulus to states in the United States
by Tina Bruno
HOW CAN YOU MAINTAIN maximum operating days for your business and, at the same time, help your state increase tax revenue, decrease the achievement gap, and reduce the dropout rate? The solution is simple: Educate your elected officials about the benefits of a traditional school calendar with a 12-week summer break.
U.S. states are scrambling for more tax dollars and trying to create educational programs to meet the goals of federal legislation that will give them a part of the $4.35 billion available in federal grant money for summer learning programs and innovative educational initiatives.
Regardless of the school calendar configuration, students are in school the same number of days. The only differences are how vacation days are scheduled and the length of summer learning programs.
Proponents of nontraditional school calendars claim more frequent, shorter breaks during the school year result in less learning loss during the summer months and thus increased academic progress. But research shows over a 12-month period, children learn the same amount regardless of the school calendar configuration.
Closing the Achievement Gap
Research also shows low-income students fall behind an average of two months in reading during the summer while their middle-income peers tend to make slight gains. A recent study of students by Johns Hopkins researchers showed 65 percent of the achievement gap between poor and affluent children can be explained by unequal summer learning experiences during the elementary school years.
The traditional school calendar keeps students in school during the school year with limited breaks, thus reducing need for review. Conversely, using the 12-week summer for innovative learning experiences will increase summer experiences and should reduce the achievement gap—all in a way that will allow federal funds to pay for the programs.
Reducing the Dropout Rate
In addition to students dropping out because they have fallen behind academically, research also shows children who are more involved in school activities are less likely to drop out. So, how can the traditional school calendar better encourage students to become involved in school activities?
For many of our economically disadvantaged students, working is not an option—it’s a necessity. The longer students have to work over the summer the less they may need to work during the school year, allowing them more time for school activities.
Get Involved and Make a Difference
Changing the school start date or the school calendar in your state may seem unimportant in the education world, but I hope you now understand how interrelated the school calendar can be to our students’ success.
Public opinion polls show parents don’t support a longer school year nor do they favor nontraditional school calendars. Polls consistently show voters prefer a school start date after Labor Day.
As your state legislatures are scrambling to find funds to cover current programs, remind them of the popularity and benefits of a traditional school calendar and its positive effect on education and the economy. Remind elected officials of the federal funding opportunities for summer learning programs.
For more information and help in getting the word out to your legislators contact The Coalition for a Traditional School Calendar at +1 210/559-5277.
Tina Bruno is the executive director of The Coalition for a Traditional School Calendar, a nationwide nonprofit, grassroots coalition of parents, teachers, administrators, and businesses concerned about the negative impact the early August school start date and the year-round school calendar have on our children, families, and teachers. www.schoolyear.info
Impact of Early-August School Start Dates on U.S. State Economies
- North Carolina—statewide economic impact estimated to be $2.1 billion (James A. Chandler, Ph. D., CHA, CHE, Assistant Professor of Hospitality Management, Department of Nutrition and Hospitality Management, College of Human Ecology, East Carolina University)
- South Carolina—economic impact estimated to be $180 million (“An Analysis of Economic & Tax Revenue Impacts,” Stephen C. Morse, Ph.D., Economist, School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management, University of South Carolina)
- Texas—economic impact estimated at $790 million annually. Independent review after school-start-date law took effect confirmed impact. (“Saving Summers: A Lesson Learned,” September 2004 Special Report, Texas Comptrollers Office)
- Florida—after the school start date law was passed, Florida attractions saw a 20 percent increase in attendance during the month of August. (“In Orlando, school’s out for tourism,” Jason Garcia, Orlando Sentinel, Dec. 1, 2008)
- Tennessee—early-August school start dates are estimated to have cost the state, in 2004, between $277.4 million and $341.1 million. (“The Effects of Early School Start Dates on the Tennessee Tourism Industry,” John Salazar, Ph.D., Director, UT Tourism Institute, University of Tennessee, 2005)
- Pennsylvania—$378 million annually would be added to the state’s economy if schools were required to begin school after Labor Day. (“The Economic Benefits of Reinstituting the Traditional Summer Vacation: The Cost to Pennsylvania’s Economy Resulting from School Starting Before Labor Day,” TrippUmbach, 2006)
- Alabama—requiring school districts to start the school year 10 weekdays later, or around Aug. 24, would add more than $293 million a year to the state’s economy while decreasing noninstructional operational costs to school districts by around $40 million. (“An Economic Analysis of Early School Start Dates in Alabama,” M. Keivan Deravi, Ph.D., Professor of Economics, School of Business, Center for Business and Economic Development, Auburn University Montgomery, 2009)
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A Letter from GKTW
Dear friends,
One of the most magical sounds in the world is a child’s laughter; it’s the sound that fills the air at theme parks and attractions the world over. It fills the air, too, at Give Kids The World Village. But their laugh takes on an even more magical meaning—it is the sound of hope.
 In a few short months we will reach the incredible milestone of having served our 100,000th family. They arrive from all 50 states and 70 countries around the world, often at a time in their lives when they have run out of hope. The constant barrage of doctor visits, hospital stays, and medical treatments have taken their toll. Then for a few unforgettably happy days these families are immersed in joy, laughter, understanding, and love. They find their smile again as months of pent up despair, uncertainty, and sadness melt away with a spin on a carousel, a hug from a beloved character, or a banana split for breakfast. Seeds of hope are sown as they reconnect as a family and indulge in everything from life’s simplest pleasures to the stuff dreams are made of; they begin to feel normal once again.
We are truly blessed that the entire IAAPA community of theme parks, attractions, zoos, aquariums, manufacturers and suppliers, designers, consultants, and individual members has embraced our mission. Thanks to your boundless generosity in sharing your time, talents, hearts, and gifts, we are able to create a place where happiness inspires hope. For proof we need look no further than the letters of gratitude we receive from our families. As one Wish Mom recently wrote: “We sometimes wonder what heaven is like—we would wish it to be just like Give Kids The World Village; the eighth wonder of the world.”
On behalf of all those whose lives have been touched by your generosity, thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping us create such a magical place. We simply could not do it without you.
With love,
Pamela Landwirth President, Give Kids The World www.gktw.org
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